Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

We finally waved goodbye reluctantly to Year 2011 and welcomed with open arms Year 2012. Our little quiet household had been bustling with activities for the past few weeks. We rushed through (madly) all the shopping, writing/mailing of cards and gifts, cooking and baking. We hosted our friends on Christmas eve as well as Christmas Day - just casual luncheons for small groups, nothing too elaborate or fancy....but a hell lot of booze!

Although we are only renting....we'd usually still try our best to decorate for the festive seasons - with minimum budget and plenty of brain juices. We made sort of a wall banner using all the Christmas cards that we had received from families and friends. My landlord has these evergreen conifers that look like miniature Christmas trees...so we hung lights around them as we didn't want to buy a tree. I also used the holly leaves and berries for the wreath and all around the house.

We received lots of lovely gifts from our friends and neighbors - new and old.

And of course, there were plenty of food and eating and drinking....it's no wonder why my new year resolution is ALWAYS to lose some weight!

This festive season was made even more joyous with the visit of a dear old friend from Singapore. We had a great time shopping, catching up and she cooked for us.

She also brought us some goodies all the way from home....

The birds visited our new birdfeeder and joined in our celebrations....

....and of course, the squirrels too tried to get their hands on the festive goodies but were all defeated by the smart gadget!

We visited the Cape right before New Year and it was nice and peaceful without the summer traffic.

Here are the photos of the very first sunset and twilight of Year 2012.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish everyone nothing but the VERY BEST for the new year. May you have love, peace and joy in your hearts.